Not A Joke Anymore
by Maroonderson
Summary: "Things are changing, being destroyed, being created, all too fast. It's going too quickly. I need to... I need to stop. I need to remember. I have to hold onto these memories before they become nothing more than a fading dream, forgotten before I could tell anyone. Before I do, too." *SPOILERS FOR GENOCIDE* Told from Sans perspective, as he prepares for his battle with Frisk.
1. Brothers Are Brothers

**I find San's and Papyrus's relationship to be damn heartwarming.**

 **But after seeing what happens in a genocide run, the incredibly real, fierce love Sans has for Papyrus seems to be unveiled for the first time. The ending, well, broke my heart, to be honest. So I decided I'd make a backstory for the duo in the perspective of Sans. *SPOILERS* I found his surprisingly god-like power in the Sans battle really interesting, so this provides some explanation for that, as well.**

 **This chapter is fairly short, but later on they get longer and more in depth.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoy. Love you, Sans.**

* * *

I can recall every memory, from the beginning to the bitter end. It all seems like a dream, now.

Family? Nah. Not gonna go through all that. Family is the ones that stick with you, through and through.

My own blood and bones didn't.

Papyrus did.

And that's history.

He'd leap out of bed like he was launched out of a catapult at the first hint of dawn. He was so excited, so determined, perpetually. I'd fix myself my morning cup of ketchup as he sprinted outside in his makeshift "battle body" and brandishing this tattered, old sword we found in the snow one day, swinging it around as if he were possessed by a five-year-old demon and threatening the heads of the other innocent kids around town.

It was so long ago.

We're skeletons. We age like death. It could be centuries ago, for all we know.

I remember when he finally got his attack down, the "blue attack". He'd been trying ruthlessly for months, prancing out the house in the morning with an incredible amount of energy, as usual, and coming back with the same giddiness as when he left. He'd beg the Royal Guards to help him out, show him some attacks, but they'd usually tell him to piss off. He'd run to the library and grab every book off the shelves if it had the words "puzzle", "attack", or "human" in it. He'd practice constantly, ask whoever passed by to battle. They regarded him as a freak. But even with all that, he wouldn't let up. I kind of admire that about him. That annoying persistence, that never-give-up innocence. He tried tirelessly to the point that it aggravated _me_ every time he came back in the evening, hardly any progress to pay for his work.

I was reading the newspaper, as any teenage skeleton would, sipping my ketchup. It was just like any other day. He was outside, battling a snow poff. The snow poff seemed to be winning.

But suddenly, I heard a scream. My bones were rattled; I thought the snow poff must've attacked him. So I started towards the door, but a few feet away from it, he barreled through, more excited than I'd ever seen him, which is saying something for a guy who seems to be on Red Bull every moment of his life. He was screeching incoherently, something about snow, humans, the royal guard, and a dog.

I just looked. And grinned.

He frantically dragged me outside, presenting me the pile of snow, mildly disturbed from some kind of force.

I didn't really get it, at first. "Papyrus, your snow poff fell over."

"I know that!" He belted out the first words I could understand. "Do you know _why_ it's fallen over?!"

I stared at him uncertainly, shrugged.

"I did it!"

"Whattaya mean?"

He folded his arms over each other, cocked his chin into the air smugly. He was trying to play it cool, as he always was, but his childish excitement was about as evident as the fact that we were skeletons. "Well, Sans, it all payed off, finally! That snow poff has been defeated by _me,_ the great Papyrus, with my infamous _blue attack!"_

Immediately upon finishing his sentence, he readied his fists, facing me in a somewhat sassy, aggressive stance. "Fight me, Sans! Let me show you how amazing it is!"

"Whatever you say, bro."

Needless to say, I was impressed. Papyrus wasn't the most intimidating person, but his blue attack was special. I'd never see anything like it before.

And I was proud as any brother would be.


	2. Worse Than A Monster

**So, earlier I posted a _different_ second chapter, but I decided to take it down because it wasn't necessary to the story, and it was kind of slow. Instead, this is the second chapter! If you don't understand what I'm trying to say, then you can just ignore it, haha.**

 **Either way, I hope you like it.**

 **(Note: This is from San's perspective and memories as he *SPOILERS FOR GENOCIDE ROUTE* prepares for his battle with Frisk. Some thoughts of his, particularly at the end of this chapter, may not make sense unless you know what happens in genocide.**

* * *

I remember the day we left the town we'd been in for all our lives.

Things hadn't been bad there, or anything. I had a job at the coffee shop, and Papyrus helped clean houses. You know, it's pretty sweet getting a discount for coffee whenever you want some. And Papyrus would mostly just look forward to practicing his attacks after his shifts ended. Not exactly good money, but it was money nonetheless.

We were probably teenagers, speaking in skeleton years. Still kids. And it was still acceptable for Papyrus to be unhealthily obsessed with becoming a part of the Royal Guard- well, kind of.

I left the shop after my shift ended (alright, fine, maybe a _little_ bit earlier than when my shift ended), and headed home. We were still living in this dumpy shack that could hardly be called a home. I got inside and immediately collapsed on the sofa to watch some television, conveniently next to a window, where I could see everything happening outside our house.

For the first few minutes, all that occurred was snow falling lightly from the white sky and landing on the equally white ground, as usual. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw something new happen. Something peculiar.

Papyrus was leaving the house across from us, having finished cleaning it. The owners of this house, I wasn't particularly fond of. Some kids around our age that were the type to think they were superior. I mean, Papyrus is like that, but he'd never _actually_ hurt anyone. These kids weren't like him.

From the window, I watched as my brother held out his hand for his rightful pay after his cleaning, but the trio didn't make any motion to insinuate they were paying him. Instead, I saw their mouths move, smirks, challenging gazes. And then I saw Papyrus grin and put a hand on his hip, readying to fight. _A battle._ I felt my heart sink, because I knew, I just knew this couldn't lead to anywhere remotely good. But yet, I didn't do anything.

At first, my brother was doing alright. He seemed to be fighting just the kid in the middle, and he was even winning. Maybe he's okay, I thought. Papyrus has got this.

But then I watched as the second kid joined the fight, and then the third. And I witnessed in petrified horror as my brother was beaten into a quivering ghost of the confident, sassy skeleton he used to be in less than a moment.

My hands were shaking in their pockets. Something gleamed in my eye, something hot and fiery. Pain and confusion threatened to overwhelm my anger, but I don't think it was possible.

I left my house calmly and tromped through the snow to where the four stood. Papyrus was kneeling on the ground, shaking and breathing heavily, as the trio in front of him smiled in triumph, readying their next attack. Beaming and confident, like how my brother should have been. Like my brother always is.

"Hey fellas, what's going on?"

Papyrus glanced at me abruptly and broke into a weak grin. "Sans! Come on, let's fight these guys together!" He hesitated, looking at me strangely. "W-What's that in your eye?"

I disregarded his comment, taking a better look at the three kids. They were bears, diverse in size and color, but each of them had a mocking look on their face. Not like the friendly bears I saw around town. I tightened my fists in my pocket, the smile still screwed on my face.

"Sorry, Skelly, this fight is full. Let us finish up, then we'll play, alright?" The middle one smirked at me. I opened my mouth to intervene, but before I could protest, another turn passed. Papyrus was laying crumpled in the snow, all attacks from the bears powerful and inevitable. That searing pain in my eye, hot and fiery, was worsening. My throat tightened.

I patted my brother's back gently, although every nerve in my body was itching to do something to those bears. _Anything._ "Hey, how about you flee from this and go grab some food at home? I got it, man."

He didn't even have the strength to raise his head to look at me incredulously. The lofty defiance that'd usually be in his voice was barely audible. "But we can-"

"Nah, buddy. I think it'd be best if you just let me deal with this. You look bone tired, anyways." I stared at the three bears as the words left my mouth. My words were still, the same as how I usually spoke. But I shook from the heat in my eye. The burning in my throat. The fire rushing through my entire body. Entirely indescribable.

Papyrus groaned at my joke, but reluctantly pulled himself to his feet and dragged himself to our house. It was pitiful to watch. Imagine that, Papyrus, just a shameful little lump of bones. My stomach was turning in circles.

"Alright, 'Sans', we'll fight." The three bears were chuckling to themselves, giving me a mocking look. As if they were saying, 'let's entertain the baby bones'.

The one to the left stepped up nonchalantly, preparing to fight me alone, but I shook my head, my hands still buried into my warm pockets. "You ain't fooling me, guys. I know the others are gonna join in and beat the bones outta me before I can blink. Let's just fight, three versus one, get it over with, got it?"

They hesitated for a moment, but quickly regained their composure. "Alright, fine. I gotta warn you, though, we might be a challenge."

I smiled, the edges of my mouth stretching gleefully.

 _"I can take a challenge."_

The battle only took one turn.

I wasn't even aware of how I moved. I just knew that the pain in my eye heightened to the point it was nearly unbearable, and every attack released from an endless supply of energy was filled with so much rage. So much anger. I'm not the type of guy to be overflowing with these kinds of feelings. This kind of blind fury, the kind that would not stop despite what I knew was rational. This isn't what I knew.

I knew jokes, I knew laughs, I knew my brother. Not this.

It was as if I blinked, and everything fast-forwarded for a full minute. The two bears in front of me were leaning over the third, a helpless sack, battered and coughing on the ground. Bits of fur lay around them. Red in the snow. A lump grew in my throat.

"W-What are you?!" One of the bears, the shortest one, cowered away from me, screaming, blood-chilling. "S-Stop looking at me! Get _away_ with that _damn eye!"_

Everything felt numb. The burning in my eye had lessened, it seemed, but I wanted it back. I wanted to feel something. Anything besides this dreadful emptiness, this exhaustion. The rage, along with my energy, was depleted. My legs were going to collapse underneath me.

I was breathless, slipping my hands back into my pocket. My grin was weak. "Just stay away from my brother." The words were heavy, not even slightly threatening coming out of my mouth.

Was it all worth it?

Of course it was. It's... it's Papyrus.

"You'll pay for this, you little shit!" The words were tearful. _I had caused someone to cry._

I jogged into the house again, feeling the warmth breeze through my bones. Papyrus lay on the couch, a hand over his eyes. When he heard me enter, he sat up hastily, staring at me. "You're not even hurt! What happened?"

I shrugged, trying to keep my words steady as I grabbed a bag and took books and junk food off our shelves. "Uh, you weakened them, made them easy." I dumped everything I thought could come into use into the bag frantically, excruciatingly aware of Papyrus's eyes on my back.

"What are you doing?"

My hands were shaking. I took a deep breath, turning towards my brother. "I think it's time we left." His face immediately contorted in disbelief. "Let's go somewhere new! There's plenty of towns around here, we've just got to find the right one. This one's too snowy, anyways."

"Sans, all of them are snowy! What is going on wi-"

I pounded my fist on the counter suddenly, startling even myself. He stared at me from behind the couch, speechless, for once. Sudden fits of anger. Heat, pain, my stomach in knots. Bursts of hatred-fueled power, power that I didn't even know the existence of. This was not who I was.

"Papyrus. We have to leave." I gulped. My voice was failing on me, for the first time in a long time. The lump in my throat felt like it weighed a ton.

"They're going to kill us."

As the sun lay its first finger on the mountains, the two of us began to stumble into the distance. The town, the lights, the warmth that radiated around it even in the worst storms, just because of the fact that there were people there, we left it all behind, trekking into a frozen wasteland without direction. I didn't know if we'd make it anywhere. If we'd just walk until we were buried underneath the snow that whipped us furiously.

Was it selfish? I'm not sure. They weren't after him, after all. They wanted me. I had dragged my brother along into a life of uncertainty in order to run from my _own_ problems.

I was worse than distasteful. Worse than vile. I was... pitiful.

Things could have been different. We could still have been in that town now; Papyrus could have become a master in fighting, and I could have been making my own joke book. I could have compromised with the three bears. Maybe the town wouldn't regard me as some kind of monster. It could have worked itself out, even.

But _I_ _didn't. Even. Try._

Is all of this my fault?

 _... Papyrus..._


	3. Only A Mask

**Thanks to those who have read this far, and also for all the likes and favorites!**

 **Enjoy~**

* * *

I remember our constant travels as we searched desperately for a permanent home.

It wasn't like those times were any worse than the rest. We were skeletons, so we hardly felt the cold. We could feel the snow digging into our bones, and the wind blowing us nearly off our feet, and the perpetual fear that the blizzards would become so bad that our vicinity would be completely cut off, but at least we didn't freeze to death, right?

At least we each had a brother by our side, which was yet another thing gnawing at me, fiercer, more terrible than the conditions battering around me. _I didn't even ask him._ I didn't even ask his opinion. I know he would've come with me either way... right? It's Papyrus, we've been together since as long as I can remember. He couldn't have made it without me, anyways. He needed me.

And... I needed him.

Trudging through the snow without him, as the only family I'd ever known watched through the windows. Too afraid to look back, not because I was afraid I'd see something I didn't want to see, but because I didn't want him to see what he didn't want to see. The tears that would've stained my bones. That mask of a smile, taken off for the first time. The final embrace of the fact that I was alone.

No. I couldn't have done that. I wouldn't leave him.

Besides, I needed someone to practice my jokes on.

This one night, the blizzards had finally calmed down. It was probably a few days after we left our town, in the middle of the winter, just our luck. It was rare that the winds managed to slow even slightly, so we took every opportunity to light a fire and roast some food. And as I took a much-needed rest, he, of course, would _not_ rest and started fighting any moving thing nearby.

Eventually, I watched as his movements slowed and he slumped onto the snow across from me, tired, for once. The fire crackled between us, warming my slipper-covered feet. The storm had ceased, if only for a moment, and the fire would be blown out in a few minutes, but I was determined to treasure those scarce moments of tranquility. I wasn't even tempted to crack a joke.

"Sans?"

I took a deep breath, the silence dissipated. Strangely enough, I wasn't so disappointed. "Yeah, Papyrus?"

"I'm not as clueless as you think."

I was quiet. It was rare that the storm ever stopped, but it was even more unusual for Papyrus to talk calmly. Solemnly. Maybe our traveling had really taken a tole on him. Another pang of guilt struck me in the stomach, sickening and painful.

I swallowed my regret. "I know that."

He sighed. "Well, obviously not enough to tell me the truth! You've _never_ fought, at least not around me. Those guys, they... they were tough. I didn't get that many hits in," he paused, I could hear him readying himself to continue, "if any. They beat the crap out of me, and you took them down like they were nothing. How?"

Silence clouded the atmosphere again. I wanted to say something. I wanted to tell him, I didn't _know_ how. I didn't know why there was that thing in my eye. I didn't know how I fought them into a helpless, hysterical sack in just a single turn. I just didn't know.

"I saw from the window. Your eye was glowing. Your attacks were like nothing I'd ever seen before." He sat up, lacing his bony arms around his legs, gazing into the fire. "I... I've read all the books, Sans. _All_ of them. You're not like them. You're something different." He lifted his head up to look at me, his eyes filled with confused pain, begging for an explanation. And I knew, what I'd done had resulted in something I'd never intended.

Papyrus was doubting himself.

I sat up quickly, fidgeting nervously. I was good with jokes, not words. They tumbled out of mouth in an incoherent jumble.

"I really don't know. I mean, I wish I could figure it out, but I can't." I sighed, resting my face in my hands. "I was so angry. And my eye, the thing that was _in_ my eye. It was burning, like someone stuck a hot rod in it. It was so painful. I just saw white, and then when I realized what I'd done, what I'd caused..." I closed my eyes, the image of the three bears cowering in complete terror still engraved into my head. "They thought I was a monster."

He looked grim. "But you're not. If you put that... whatever that was, to good use, for good reason. To get us all out of the Underground, if a human ever comes along, if we can't. You don't have to be a monster."

"But I _am_ one. We all are."

The silence was no longer comfortable. It was still, sad. Eerie, even. Imagine that. A monster in fear.

"I don't like fighting." I murmured finally, letting myself fall backwards into the soft, clean slow with a muted thump. "I don't want to have to hurt anyone." My voice was meek and soft.

Papyrus's eyes were glazed, facing the warmth of the fire licking at the snow. But suddenly, as if fireworks went off in his skull, he shot up to beam at me. His smile. So silly, so stupid. But contagious. It was gone for too long; simply its appearance lifted my mood. "Well, you don't have to fight! How about, _I'll_ be the amazing, dashing hero who becomes the master of battle, and _you_ can be my slightly less amazing, but still pretty cool, joke-telling brother!" He grinned cheerfully, the seriousness that once played on his face now completely gone without a trace of its prior existence.

I chuckled weakly, closing my eyes, immersing myself in darkness. "Yeah. Yeah, that'd be cool, man. I'd like that."

But a question still pushed, begging to be determined. Begging to be asked, simply to make that infectious smile disappear by my own doing, just once. The cruelness hiding in the back of my mind, it implored to me to see the light. Just once.

 _What if I'm forced to fight someday?_

 _What if there's not other option?_ _What if that's the only way I can protect you, huh?_ _What then?!_

I gritted my teeth. A barrier to keep these words from spewing from my mouth, although they were at the very edge of my tongue.

I bet it looked just like a smile.


	4. MEGALOVANIA

**A long chapter. The final chapter.**

 **MEGOLOVANIA.**

* * *

 _If I could see that smile,_

 _Just one more time,_

 _It would all be worth it._

 _But where is my worth, now? Where has it run to?_

My hands were burrowed into my pockets.

Usually, this simple act was calming. My breathing would become steady, my emotions, my feelings would be contained by these pathetic pieces of fabric. Any foreboding actions seducing me, forced into submission by merely keeping my hands inside my pockets. Something an old friend taught me, whenever I'd get out of control as a child.

 _As a child._

The words hit me in the stomach like a wrecking ball, racking my body with silent cries. I didn't know why. Maybe because, as a child, I wasn't here. I was Home. Home, wherever it is, now. Deserted, most likely. Destroyed. Ruthlessly torn to shreds. _**I'm going to kill them.**_

I stood for a moment, waiting for that insistent plea, constantly in the back of my mind, begging me to be just. Telling me to be wise, telling me to stay under control. Whenever the malice grew powerful, it'd fight back tirelessly, all the while imploring me to stay strong, to not forget who I was, who I wanted to be. It wasn't here, today. My mind was silent, as well as the entirety of the Underground. There was nothing left to oppose. Nobody left to see me as the monster I am.

The church built up around me, grand and holy, was entirely ironic. The walls were a shimmering gold, perfectly chiseled columns formed the foundation for this building. The windows, stained glass, formed mesmerizing pictures I couldn't begin to explain. Detailing the war between the humans and the monsters, the lost Asriel, the king and the queen. It was so beautiful. Too beautiful. They did not belong to be in the presence of the evil about to unfold.

Whether I'm speaking of the child or myself, I do not know anymore.

The bells struck above my head, powerful and mighty. I took a deep breath, retreating behind one of the columns, I closed my eyes. One ring for every death. _I have to remember._

The monotonous tone continued for minutes, eerie and unending. 10 times. 20 times. 50 times... So many souls.

My brother. My brother, Papyrus.

He's only a single toll of a bell, now. He is not an individual anymore. He is just a faceless victim. One whom nobody will be alive to remember. Not even his name...

And suddenly, the unmistakable sound of clacking footsteps filled the air. Small ones, intertwining with the tones of the bell. Not even an ounce of hesitation. My throat was fire, my eye, that painful burn I'd avoided for so long. It was here. _And I was not going to run from it again._

I stepped out from behind the column, confronting that little, emotionless face once again. That face I knew was bad news when I first saw it. I could have prevented all of it, if I'd just gone with my gut. Little slip of the foot before anyone else noticed them, and this psychopath would be dead, their bones shattered, their throats gushing with blood, in the bottom of a chasm. Nobody'd even notice. It's happened before, hasn't it?

I was the one that let it come to this. I... I couldn't let this happen.

 ** _No._**

"Heya." The grin was pasted on my face, my hands furrowed into my pocket. Just like always. "You've been busy, huh?"

The bell rang, consistent and slow, as they stared at me. That vile, baby face. I wanted to... I wanted to _kill it._

"So, I've got a question for ya," I continued, smiling. "Do you think even the worst person can change? That everyone can be a good person, if they just try?"

I watched, amused, as they took a small step towards me. I could see, now, the knife clutched in their hands. The red stained on their clothing. Smeared upon their face, the lack of an attempt to hide it. As if they were championing it around like a medal they'd won. Not the slightest change in expression.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Well, here's a better question."

 **"D _o_ y _o_ u _w_ a _n_ n _a_ h _a_ v _e_ a _ba_ d _t_ i _m_ e?"**

"Cause, if you take another step," I beamed, **"** **y _o_ u _'_ r _e_ r _e_ a _ll_ y n _o_ t _g_ o _i_ n _g_ t _o_ l _i_ k _e_ w _h_ a _t_ h _a_ p _pe_ n _s n_ e _x_ t."**

And yet, another step. Still, no emotion.

I remembered that lady behind the door. Her jokes, the way she always laughed at mine, even when they weren't my best. Like I was the first chance at joy she'd found for a long, long time. And the promise I made to her. But there was no one left to hold me accountable. No one left to care for. No one left to see who I am. Absolutely nothing left to lose.

It was just me and the human.

I grinned, and shrugged. "Welp, sorry, old lady. This is why I never make promises."

 **The battle began.**

 _..._

 _I am Sans the skeleton. My brother, my best friend, was Papyrus._

 _He is gone, now. I soon will be, too._

 _I am only a host._

 _The power inside of me. It's not me, I promise._

 _I promise._

 _I'm... sorry._

 _..._

"It's a beautiful day outside," I say, closing my eyes, taking a deep, tranquil breath. "Birds are singing, flowers are blooming. On days like these, kids like you..."

My eyes open. I see only black. Only darkness. " **SHOULD BE BURNING IN HELL."**

I am hardly aware of the moves I make. Only that it's barbaric, it's monstrous. It's worse than inhumane. _I am a monster._ I jerk the child back and forth, their heart turns blue, their shirt is stained with their own blood. Their knife is wrenched from their frail hand, skittered across the church floor.

They cannot attack, I am everywhere but where they hit. When they hit everywhere, I am nowhere.

I am only mildly aware of the heat in my eye, now, but I know it's there. I know that, as each turn passes, it brightens, it darkens, it turns every shade in and outside of the rainbow. It's beautiful. It's terrifying. It's mystifying. It's **HELL ITSELF.**

And suddenly... it's over. Their body lay on the ground. Beaten. Torn to shreds. Pitiful to see. There's a lump in my throat. All that, and it's over already...?

...

 _ **No, no, it's not over.**_

Because their save files. Their save files, they're still there. They're always going to be there. Whatever is inside of me, it will defeat them, it will continue to demolish this child until they are unrecognizable.

BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER  
BECAUSE THE CHILD WILL ALWAYS WIN

BECAUSE THEY ARE THE PLAYERS  
AND I AM ONLY A CHARACTER HERE

MEANT FOR ONE PURPOSE  
 **TO PLAY UNTIL I LOSE**

 **I WILL KEEP ON PLAYING  
UNTIL I CAN'T GO ON  
AND  
** **I  
HAVE  
** **NO  
** **CHOICE.  
**.

.

.

 _ **"So, uh, I've decided, it's not gonna be your turn. Ever."**_

I smile, breathing heavily. The child stares at me, bewildered. _Emotion_. Yes, there it is.

 _ **"I'm just gonna keep on having my turn until you give up."**_

It fills me with the utmost joy to see the astonishment finally arriving on their face. Like I've actually accomplished something by doing the complete opposite. Literally, nothing. I chuckle, my legs shaking underneath me. This came at the best time. Because I will not be able to escape another shot. Another attempt with their knife, and I will be nothing. I will be with Papyrus. I will be with Undyne. I will be just a dream.

I close my eyes, bury my hands into my pocket. I know the child will refuse to give up. They'll sit here for hours, days. They want to win. They _need_ to win. This Satan does not give up.

But two can play at that game.

I can see them through my eyes, barely opened. They are wandering across the church, searching for some kind of escape. Utterly dumbfounded. Stupid. Stupid, hell-bound kid. _I can't wait to wave at you from up there soon enough._

Suddenly, they stop. They freeze, directly in front of me. Of course, they think I'm asleep. Stupid, knife-wielding kid. They'll aim a swipe at me, but they just don't know. They don't know that they won't be able to do it. It's my turn. I can't die.

Surely enough, I anticipate their attack. Futile. _**We'll just keep waiting here, kid. Forever. It'd be better if you'd just-**_

The sound of a knife hitting something. Something hard, something... bony. _CLANK!_

Me.

I don't feel the ache. But I feel the energy immediately sapping out of me. The power that was inside of me is leeching out. Going somewhere else. Maybe to someone more worthy. The red begins to pour, surrounding me in a pool, from my mouth, from the single, long cut across my chest.

I glance up at the child. They look satisfied.

"So. Guess that's it, huh?" The labor it takes to cough out these words was worse than I thought it would be. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."

My defiance acts up. Sans, still inside of me. He was still there. "I'm going to Grillby's." My walking is more like sliding. The ground is slick with blood, so there's not much else I can do. I leave, out of the child's vision, but their eyes don't follow. They don't wait to see if I've really died. I'm just an obstacle. Just a mini-boss to them. What would you expect?

The last I see of the child is their back as they left the room. Heading... heading for ASGORE. For the barrier...

I trip.

I fall.

My bones feel so weak...

 _"Papyrus, do you want anything?"_

 _..._

 _It is not just a bad dream anymore. I have left._

 _And the bells are still tolling._

* * *

 **Wow. So, this was kind of a roller coaster to write.**

 **I really didn't mean for it to be this long, but it turned out this way. Lots of spaces to heighten the drama, I suppose. Just writing this made me emotional.**

 **Anyways, whoever reads this, if anyone does, thank you so much for your support. It means so much to me when people enjoy my writing, you have no idea. So thank you for whatever contribution you've done, whether you've followed or favorited, or you simply clicked on the story.**

 **(Also, for context, "Megalovania" is the song used in San's battle. It's pretty kick ass.)**


End file.
